Britain, US agree to engage Russia with ‘strength, unity’

AYLESBURY: Britain and the United States have agreed that Russia should be engaged with “strength and unity”, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Friday after meeting US President Donald Trump.

“We agreed that it is important to engage Russia from a position of strength and unity,” May said, as Trump prepares for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday.Trump said he had been “tougher on Russia than anybody”, ahead of a summit with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday.

“We have been far tougher on Russia than anybody... We have been extremely tough on Russia,” he said at a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Theresa May.

He recalled that 60 intelligence officers were expelled from the Russian embassy in Washington in response to a nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy in Britain.Russia has denied any involvement in the attack.

“We have been very strong on Russia,” Trump told reporters at the British premier’s Chequers country residence, after talks with May.

Trump says he did not criticise British PM: US President Donald Trump on Friday denied criticising British Prime Minister Theresa May, dismissing as “fake news” an interview in which he attacked her Brexit strategy.

“I didn’t criticise the prime minister... It’s called fake news,” he said after the interview in Friday’s edition of The Sun newspaper. Trump said he was “OK” with British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit strategy and was hopeful the two countries could strike a trade deal, a day after excoriating her policy.

“Whatever you do, it’s OK with me,” he said after talks with May, adding: “The only thing I ask of Theresa is to make sure we can trade.”

Trump played down his extraordinary attack on Britain’s plans for Brexit, praising Prime Minister Theresa May’s leadership and insisting ties between the two countries “have never been stronger”.

Trump’s first official visit to Britain was overshadowed by his scathing criticism of May’s plans for leaving the European Union, which risks encouraging a revolt among eurosceptics in her party.